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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  Every 
  student 
  who 
  has 
  observed 
  local 
  birds 
  throughout 
  the 
  year 
  is 
  

   aware 
  that 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  individuals, 
  of 
  even 
  the 
  so-called 
  

   resident 
  species, 
  changes 
  with 
  the 
  season. 
  This 
  i,s 
  no 
  doubt 
  due 
  to 
  

   changes 
  in 
  food 
  supply, 
  environment, 
  and 
  probably, 
  to 
  physical 
  im- 
  

   pulses. 
  In 
  short, 
  the 
  ecological 
  conditions 
  vary 
  enough 
  to 
  force 
  the 
  

   individual 
  birds 
  to 
  vary 
  their 
  habitat, 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  

   area 
  under 
  observation 
  may 
  receive 
  a 
  few 
  additional 
  individuals 
  of 
  

   the 
  ^ame 
  species 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  migrants 
  or 
  merely 
  wanderers 
  from 
  an 
  

   adjoining 
  area. 
  Under 
  the 
  ordinary 
  methods 
  of 
  study 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  

   or 
  impossible 
  for 
  the 
  observer 
  to 
  be 
  sure 
  that 
  the 
  same 
  individuals 
  are 
  

   constantly 
  under 
  observation, 
  in 
  contrast 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  station 
  oper- 
  

   ator, 
  daily 
  retrapping 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  birds, 
  can 
  truthfully 
  say 
  that 
  

   he 
  knows 
  the 
  individual 
  birds 
  in 
  the 
  area 
  contiguous 
  to 
  his 
  .station. 
  

   He 
  is 
  accordingly 
  able 
  to 
  record 
  with 
  accuracy 
  the 
  acts 
  that 
  each 
  

   performs. 
  

  

  The 
  accumulation 
  of 
  material 
  of 
  this 
  character 
  necessarily 
  will 
  be 
  

   very 
  slow, 
  for 
  each 
  observation 
  must 
  be 
  checked 
  and 
  rechecked 
  at 
  

   dijQPerent 
  points. 
  In 
  this 
  respect 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  operators 
  working 
  to- 
  

   gether 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  vicinity 
  have 
  many 
  advantages 
  that 
  will 
  

   expedite 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  their 
  investigations. 
  It 
  also 
  will 
  be 
  

   recalled 
  that 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  present-day 
  bird 
  banders 
  are 
  novices, 
  

   and 
  as 
  such 
  it 
  is 
  proper 
  that 
  they 
  use 
  every 
  care 
  to 
  present 
  only 
  data 
  

   that 
  will 
  bear 
  the 
  closest 
  scrutiny. 
  They 
  are, 
  however, 
  learning 
  

   rapidly, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  independent 
  studies 
  being 
  undertaken 
  

   is 
  constantly 
  increasing. 
  It 
  seems 
  safe 
  at 
  thi.s 
  time 
  to 
  predict 
  that 
  

   these 
  ornithologists, 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  making, 
  will 
  devote 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  

   attention 
  to 
  such 
  subjects 
  as 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  plumage 
  in 
  relation 
  

   to 
  the 
  life 
  cycle 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  ; 
  body 
  temperatures 
  under 
  different 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  and 
  their 
  relationship 
  to 
  weight 
  and 
  physical 
  conditions 
  ; 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  external 
  parasite,s 
  upon 
  plumage 
  and 
  general 
  health 
  ; 
  hered- 
  

   ity 
  and 
  the 
  dominance 
  of 
  certain 
  characters;" 
  and 
  other 
  matters 
  that 
  

   in 
  the 
  past 
  have 
  received 
  but 
  passing 
  notice. 
  Within 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  a 
  

   circular 
  letter 
  addressed 
  by 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey 
  to 
  all 
  bird-banding 
  

   cooperators, 
  requesting 
  information 
  of 
  the 
  subjects 
  that 
  were 
  of 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  interest 
  to 
  them, 
  brought 
  in 
  187 
  replies, 
  showing 
  that 
  at 
  some 
  

   stations 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  distinct 
  studies 
  were 
  in 
  progress, 
  those 
  above 
  

   named 
  having 
  preference. 
  

  

  Every 
  effort 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  counsel 
  station 
  operators 
  against 
  the 
  error 
  

   of 
  premature 
  publication, 
  in 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  to 
  carry 
  

   a 
  study 
  to 
  its 
  logical 
  conclusion 
  from 
  the 
  standpoint 
  of 
  available 
  

   facilities 
  before 
  making 
  the 
  results 
  known 
  in 
  print. 
  Accordingly, 
  

   but 
  little 
  has 
  appeared 
  from 
  the 
  banding 
  stations 
  on 
  these 
  subjects, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  possible 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  to 
  do 
  more 
  than 
  refer 
  briefly 
  to 
  work 
  

   in 
  progress. 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  